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Mace Windu
Mace Windu is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, most famously portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the prequel films. However, he has also been voiced by other actors in assorted video game and animated projects. Mace Windu is a Jedi Master and one of the last members of the Jedi Council before the fall of the Galactic Republic. Windu is the Council's primary liaison to the Supreme Chancellor, although the Clone Wars caused him to question his firmest held beliefs. History |-|Movie series= ''The Phantom Menace'' Windu first appears in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the Master of the Jedi Order. He is present when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) brings Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) before the Jedi Council, claiming that the young slave is the "Chosen One" who Jedi prophecy foretells will bring balance to the Force. Windu shares the Council's concerns that the boy exhibits a great deal of fear, and agrees with the body's unanimous decision to deny Qui-Gon permission to train him as a Jedi. However, following Qui-Gon's death at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Park, and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz), the Council reconsiders and allows Qui-Gon's apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), to train Anakin instead. He is present at Qui-Gon's funeral, at which time he confirms with Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) that Qui-Gon's killer was undoubtedly a Sith, though they were not sure if this was the master or just the apprentice. ''Attack of the Clones'' In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, set 10 years later, Mace tries to help the Council defeat the growing threat presented by the Separatists, led by Jedi Master-turned-Sith lord Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). He also watches with growing concern as the now-adult Anakin (Hayden Christensen) begins to rebel against Obi-Wan's tutelage. In the film's climactic scene, he leads a large group of Jedi in a battle against Dooku's army. In this battle, Windu kills bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison), the template for an army of clone troopers. Clone Wars Mace Windu appears extensively in the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of novels and comic books. He is a major supporting character in the animated micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which appeared on Cartoon Network from 2003 to 2005. In the series, he is portrayed by voice-actor T. C. Carson. In episodes 12 and 13 of Volume One, he is shown defending the grasslands planet Dantooine against a large hovering "fortress", and over the course, he loses his lightsaber, forcing him to instead use a lethal form of unarmed combat powered by the Force. In episode 25, the final episode of Volume Two (and the series), he and fellow Jedi Master Yoda help defend the planet Coruscant from an attack by Dooku's second-in-command, General Grievous. In the midst of the battle, he realizes that the attack is a ruse to distract the Jedi from Grievous' true objective: to kidnap Palpatine. He is too late to save the Chancellor, but uses the Force to crush Grievous' chest, inflicting upon the cyborg general the wheezing, asthmatic cough heard in Revenge of the Sith. ''Revenge of the Sith'' Mace makes his final film appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. By this point, he has fought in the Clone Wars for three years, during which time he has come to distrust the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). When Palpatine appoints Anakin as his personal representative on the Jedi Council, Windu fears that the move is designed to give the Chancellor a vote in Jedi affairs, and casts a key vote in denying Anakin the full rank of Jedi Master. Shortly afterwards, Anakin tells Mace he has learned that Palpatine is in fact the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. Mace, accompanied by Jedi Masters Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin, goes to the Chancellor's office to confront him, though the Dark Lord may have actually expected his arrival. Resisting arrest, Palpatine brandishes a red lightsaber and launches himself at the Jedi, killing all three of Mace's companions and engaging him in a lightsaber duel. Windu gains the upper hand in winning the lightsaber part of the entire duel and disarms the Sith Lord, who fires Force lightning at him; Windu blocks the lightning with his lightsaber and directs it back at Palpatine, scarring the Sith Lord's face. Anakin then arrives and Palpatine begs for help, stating that only he can save Anakin's wife, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman). Anakin pleads with Mace not to kill the Chancellor, and that he should stand trial before the Senate. Windu replies that Palpatine controls both the Senate and the courts, and is too dangerous to be kept alive. As Mace prepares to strike, Anakin intervenes and severs Windu's lightsaber hand. Palpatine then casts off his illusion of weakness, and hits Mace with another torrent of lightning, sending Mace plunging out of the chamber window to his death. Books Mace is the central character of Matthew Stover's novel Shatterpoint, in which he is called to his home planet of Haruun Kal to defeat his former apprentice, Depa Billaba, who has turned to the dark side of the Force. The novel establishes that Windu has the unique talent of seeing "shatterpoints", or faultlines in the Force that could affect the destinies of certain individuals, and indeed the galaxy itself. It also explains that Windu is the creator and sole master of a style of lightsaber combat called Vaapad (Form VII), in which the combatant skirts dangerously close to the dark side — without giving into it — by actually enjoying the fight and the thrill of victory. All others who attempted to master the form either gave in to the dark side or were unable to properly master the technique. Stover also referenced these abilities in his [[Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (novel)|novelization of Revenge of the Sith]]. It was said that without his unique style only Yoda and Count Dooku could match him. However, with the use of Vaapad he was the greatest swordsman of his time, able to defeat Darth Sidious in lightsaber combat which even Yoda could not achieve. He was also able to overwhelm Dooku in lightsaber combat during the battle of Boz Pity which took place between Episodes II and III. Besides Shatterpoint, Mace has appeared in other Expanded Universe novels, such as Cloak of Deception, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Rogue Planet, Outbound Flight, The Cestus Deception, Jedi Trial, Yoda: Dark Rendezvous and Labyrinth of Evil. Star Wars Transformers A Mace Windu action figure was added to the Star Wars Transformers toy line in 2006. It was a remold of the toy first used for Obi-Wan Kenobi, he becomes an Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor starfighter with Astromech droid R4-M6. Reception IGN reported Mace Windu as the 27th top Star Wars character, stating that he is an important component of the series.http://www.ign.com/star-wars-characters/27.html Further reading *''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith#Novelization|Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Novelization - Novelization'', 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1 *''Shatterpoint'' (novel), 1st edition, 2003. Matthew Woodring Stover, ISBN 0-345-45573-8 *''The New Essential Guide to Characters'', 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2 *''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary'', hardcover, 1999. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0 *''Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary'', hardcover, 2002. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-8588-5 *''Revised Core Rulebook (Star Wars Roleplaying Game), 1st edition, 2002. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, J.D. Wiker, Steve Sansweet, ISBN 0-7869-2876-X *''Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, hardcover, 2002. Michael Mikaelian, Jeff Grubb, Owen K.C. Stephens, James Maliszewski, ISBN 0-7869-2781-X *''Star Wars Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley'', softcover, 1993. Martin Wixted, ISBN 0-87431-187-X |-|The Clone Wars= In the 2008 CGI film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Samuel L. Jackson reprised his role as Mace Windu. However, Terrence C. Carson reprised his role as Mace Windu in the television series that followed the film. References Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Star Wars Characters Category:Deceased Characters Category:The clone wars characters Category:Humans Category:Jedi Masters